News — handmade
Returning to Zipiajo!
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We met Elvia Silva Bartolo in 2004 while Doug and I were shooting our documentary. She’s in Zipiajo, a Purepecha village way off the beaten track where a few artisans make unpainted terracotta clay pots and gorgeous embroidered blouses.We didn’t know about the embroidery at the time, and until we were in Elvia’s workshop we had no idea that she had an incredible talent for sculpting clay animal figures. We bought a few small ones that day, and later purchased some that won prizes in Michoacán state fairs. She has a piece in the prestigious Museo del Arte Popular in...
Traditional Copper Cazos and the Covid Crisis
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Mexico By Hand has sold a lot of hammered copper cazos this past year. Ever since the pandemic began we've had so many orders I honestly have lost count. Sales of cazos have helped to sustain us through these tough times of cancelled events and retail closures, and our customers as they are sheltering at home seem to appreciate our efforts to supply them. I suspected that the artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre are really hurting now due to lack of tourism and the cancellation of major sales opportunities for artisans like Semana Santa and Dia de los Muertos, and I hoped that...
Adios 2020!
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Beautiful pottery—but is it food-safe?
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Shipping News! SUMMER 2019
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Most often when I take the time to sit down to write about my business, it’s a rant or sad description of the latest calamity or indignity I’ve either witnessed or personally suffered. Some of you might know that I’ve been (slowly) writing a “memoir” with the working title “Why Importing Crafts from Mexico is Not for Wimps”. I also think that “Are you F**cking Kidding Me?” could work as a title also. But I just realized that I need to share good news too! In the summer of 2019, while the U.S. was continuing to be destroyed by a...